於2022-03-14發佈


重新栽種盼望
Replanting Hope
曼迪-伍德豪斯 Mandy Woodhouse
日期:2022年3月12日 
翻譯:Kate 
原文:以利亞名單
轉載/轉寄 請註明出處:國度禱告網

淩晨時分,在我完全清醒前,我聽到主的靈對我的心說:"是時候重新栽種盼望了"。

重新栽種

1. 再次栽種(被挖掉的樹木或植物),特別是在一個更大的盆裡或新的地方。

2. 為(一個地區)提供新的植物或樹木。

3. 通過手術將(已被切除或切斷的部分)重新連接到身體上。

在世人眼中,"盼望”往往聽起來更像是美好的願望,或對某些具體事物發生的渴望。但從聖經、國度的角度來看,盼望是對神所應許之事的信心期待,而盼望的力量在於神的信實。

這與聖經中的”信心”不同。希伯來語11:1將信心定義為”確信我們所盼望的,也確信我們所看不見的"。信心和盼望是相輔相成的,因為信心是以神所應許的為基礎,而盼望是對神所應許的將會顯現的自信期待。希伯來書還說,盼望是靈魂的錨;它使我們的思想、意志和情感得到保障,並將它們固定在信心上。

我相信,盼望是基督徒生活中屬靈爭戰最激烈的領域之一。對我來說,情況當然是這樣。

為盼望而戰

神非人,必不致說謊,
也非人子,必不致後悔。
他說話豈不照著行呢?
他發言豈不要成就呢?
(民數記23:19)

像現在基督身體裡的許多人一樣,多年前主給我的一些應許,我仍然在等待看到實現。特別是有一個應許經歷了13年的旅程,通過一路上情緒的低谷和高峰,神一次又一次地對我說,祂的應許不是”延遲",而是在指定的時間。我必須繼續提醒自己,神實際上對我說了什麼。"上帝說了什麼?"這也許是過去13年來在我的日記和心裡說得最多的一句話。

我的事工被稱為”過分的盼望",因為從世界的角度來看,盼望有時看起來很離譜。在我自己的情緒中,它當然也會感覺很離譜,這就是為什麼我必須堅持盼望,繼續在信心中行走,知道上帝不是騙子,也不是會改變主意的人。

在我的靈裡,我看到許多其他的信徒正在向主呼喊,要求得到祂所講的應許,有時是提前幾年。你可能會聽到”突然”的預言,然後調開,因為像我一樣,你聽到這些話的時間比你覺得自己能忍受的時間還要長,而且儘管你相信你的上帝,但它就是難以下嚥。我也有過這種經歷。我甚至最近也在那裡。

我相信主向我表明,這個季節的關鍵是再次在盼望中重新栽種自己,以保持令人難以置信的盼望。

重新栽種

我們有一棵矮小的橘子樹,自2021年7月以來一直在我們後院上的一個可愛的小盆裡。自從我們得到它以來,它一直在成長,在過去六個月裡,它多次長出了美麗花蕾,散發著香味。我們適當的照顧它,並喜歡擁有它。

大約六周前,我丈夫注意到,葉子開始看起來不健康了。它仍然是綠色的,而且被照顧得很好,但它看起來不像以前那樣有活力。他很快發現,這棵樹有一些小毛蟲躲在樹枝上。這些小傢伙正在吸食柳丁樹的所有營養和生命,並導致它很快看起來更像盆中的棒子,而不是一棵健康的矮橙樹。

我的丈夫決定把毛毛蟲從樹上摘下來處理,然後把它重新種到一個更大的盆裡。根部花了幾天時間來適應新土壤,但這棵樹現在絕對是欣欣向榮!樹枝伸展開來,葉子也在不斷變化。枝條伸展開來,葉子又恢復了健康,而且比之前的綠更加鮮豔。

今天早上,當主對我說:"是時候重新栽種盼望了",這正是我腦海中浮現的畫面。我覺得首先對我自己來說,以及對這個新時代的基督身體來說,盼望需要被重新栽種到一個更大的空間裡,有更深的土壤和一個可以生長的地方!"。

重新栽種盼望是什麼樣子的?

主讓我看到,有時候,盼望需要更大的空間來生長。在更大的空間裡重新栽種是一種信心的反應,因為我們正在表明我們對天父的信任,使我們的盼望在周圍更大的新空間裡成長。盼望需要一個地方,讓根系深入並得到固定,以便它能夠重新獲得健康;而它的枝條,也就是它的果實,能夠開始擴展。

箴言13:12說:"遲所盼望的遲延未得,令人心憂;所願意的臨到,卻是生命樹。"我覺得主在向我表明,不是遲延表現出來的欲望使心軟弱、生病或悲傷;當盼望不再是錨時,心會變成這樣。

為了讓盼望成長,重新栽種盼望,首先看起來像是再次擴大我的信心。重新審視祂所說的,與預言,更具體地說,與祂在我生命中的應許中所說的經文打仗。

提醒我自己祂的善良。通過一位以我的最佳利益為重的好父親的視角來看,說明我記住祂總是遵守祂的應許。在這些真理的薰陶下,病痛幾乎不可能侵襲我的心。耶利米書29:11:"耶和華說:我知道我向你們所懷的意念是賜平安的意念,不是降災禍的意念,要叫你們末後有指望。"

重新栽種盼望也看起來像與值得信賴的朋友保持一顆開放的心,他們會提醒你是誰,上帝是誰。從本質上講,這就像我的丈夫把討厭的毛毛蟲從我們的橘子樹上拔掉。這個週末,當我的盼望被動搖時,我有三個閨蜜為我做了這個。一位朋友按住我的手,以極大的權柄將盼望再次注入我的魂!另一位則提醒我,我的情緒會影響我的生活。一位提醒我,我的情緒是有道理的,但我不應該停留在那個地方。另一位只是在我哭的時候坐在我身邊。這三位朋友都是值得信賴的屬神火熱的女性,我知道我可以與她們分享我的心,她們不會讓我在”流淚谷”停留很長時間(詩篇84篇)。

最後,重新栽種盼望看起來就像對這個過程的順服。當我丈夫重新栽種橘子樹時,它的根部有一個短暫的自然過程,即習慣於新的土壤並定居下來。這在自然界也是如此,當我們的盼望因為我們的信心被拉伸而擴大時。這就是我一直以來最喜歡的經文之一的作用,撒迦利亞書9:12:"你們被囚而有指望的人都要轉回保障。我今日說明,我必加倍賜福給你們。"

盼望的囚徒和捆綁的繩索

撒迦利亞書9:12中指望(盼望)的希伯來語是tiqvâ,它的意思不僅僅是一種期望或渴望,而是指捆綁的繩子。幾年前,主向我表明,我應該成為盼望的”俘虜"--用我的一切將自己與盼望捆綁在一起,然後期待祂為我在此期間可能失去的一切提供雙倍的補償!當我們將自己與盼望捆綁在一起時,它就會成為我們的”奴隸"。

當我們把自己綁在盼望上時,這意味著我們完全屈服於這個過程。這意味著無論發生什麼事,我們都將被我們的巨大的盼望所定義。

無論發生什麼......我知道上帝對我說了什麼。

無論發生什麼事......我知道祂是一位好父親。

無論發生什麼事......我都不會把自己的心封閉起來,也不會在情感過程中試圖表現得”堅強"。我將向健康的人敞開心扉,讓他們從我的樹枝上清除那些吸食生命的謊言

無論如何......我將在盼望的過程中相信神,因為我已經把自己綁在上面,不會放手。

"遲所盼望的遲延未得,令人心憂;所願意的臨到,卻是生命樹。"(箴言13:12)。我越是把自己綁在盼望上,就越是意識到生命之樹,以及我真正想要的一切,都在耶穌那裡找到。當耶穌是我所吃的盼望之樹時,我的心永遠不必”生病"!

現在是我們作為個人和教會機構在盼望中重新栽種自己的時候了;要紮根於此,讓我們的根紮得更深。現在是將我們自己與盼望綁在一起,過著充滿盼望的生活的時候了。這就是我們的產業。


Replanting Hope
Mandy Woodhouse
2022.3.12

In the early hours of the morning, before I was fully awake, I heard the Spirit of the Lord speak these words to my heart: "It's time to REPLANT HOPE."

Replant:

1. Plant (a tree or plant which has been dug up) again, especially in a larger pot or new site.
2. Provide (an area) with new plants or trees.
3. Surgically reattach to the body (a part that has been removed or severed).

"Hope" in the world's eyes often sounds more like a nice wish, or a desire for something specific to happen. But from a biblical, Kingdom perspective, hope is the confident expectation of what God has promised, and hope's strength is in His faithfulness.

This is different from biblical "faith." Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Faith and hope are complimentary, as faith is grounded in what God has promised and hope is the confident expectation that what God has promised will manifest. Hebrews also says that hope is the anchor for the soul; it makes secure our mind, will and emotions, and fastens them to faith.

I am convinced that hope is one of the areas that has the most spiritual warfare in a Christian's life. This certainly has been the case for me.

The Fight for Hope

"God is not a man, that He would lie,
Nor a son of man, that He would change His mind;
Has He said, and will He not do it?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?"
(Numbers 23:19)

Like many in the Body of Christ right now, there are promises the Lord gave me years ago that I am still waiting to see come to pass. One promise in particular has been a 13-year journey, and through the valleys and peaks of emotions along the way, God has spoken to me over and over that His promise is not "delayed" but for AN APPOINTED TIME. In this, I have to continue to remind myself of what God has actually spoken to me. "WHAT DID GOD SAY?" is perhaps one of the most spoken phrases in my journal and heart these past 13 years.

My ministry is called "Outrageous Hope" because hope, when seen through the eyes of the world, looks pretty outrageous sometimes. And it can certainly feel outrageous in my own emotions, which is why I MUST stay anchored to hope and continue walking in faith, knowing that God is not a liar or one who would change His mind. (Photo via Unsplash)

I see so many other Believers in my spirit who are crying out to the Lord for the promises that He has spoken, sometimes years in advance. You may hear the "suddenly" prophecies and tune out because, like me, you have heard these words for longer than you feel like you can stand, and it's just DIFFICULT to swallow, although you trust your God. I've been there. I was there even recently.

I believe the Lord showed me that the key for this season, to remain outrageously hopeful, is in REPLANTING yourself in HOPE yet again.

The Replanting

We have a dwarf orange tree that has been in a cute little pot on our back deck since July 2021. It's grown since we got it and has produced beautiful-smelling buds several times in the past six months. We have cared for it properly and enjoy having it.

About six weeks ago, my husband noticed that the leaves were starting to look unhealthy. It was still green and being cared for, but it was not looking quite as vibrant as before. He quickly discovered that the tree had some small caterpillars hiding in its branches. These little guys were sucking all the nutrients and life out of the orange tree and causing it to quickly look more like a giant stick in a pot instead of a healthy dwarf orange tree.

My husband, Carston, decided to treat the tree by picking the caterpillars off of it, and then he REPLANTED it into a much larger pot. It took a few days for the roots to get used to the new soil, but the tree is now absolutely thriving! The branches are spreading, the leaves are healthy again, and it appears a more vivid green than even when we first got it!

This morning, when the Lord spoke to me and said, "It's time to REPLANT HOPE," this is the exact picture that came into my mind. I feel like for myself, first of all, and for the Body of Christ in this new era, HOPE needs to be replanted into a bigger space, with deeper soil and a place to grow!

What Does It Look Like to Replant Hope?

The Lord showed me that, sometimes, hope needs a bigger space to grow. Replanting into a larger space is a faith response because we are stating our trust in the Father to cause our hope to grow into the larger new space around it. Hope needs a place for the roots to go deep and get anchored so that it can get healthy again; and its branches, and thus its fruit, can begin to expand.

Proverbs 13:12 says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life." I feel like the Lord was showing me that it's not the postponement of manifested desire that makes the heart weak, ill or grieved; the heart gets this way when HOPE is no longer the anchor.

To replant hope, in order for it to grow, looks first like expanding my faith again. Revisiting what He said, waging war with the prophecies and, more specifically, the Scripture that He has spoken into the promises over my life.

It also looks like reminding myself of His goodness. Seeing through the lens of a GOOD FATHER, who has my best interest at heart, helps me to remember that He always keeps His promises. In marinating in these truths, it's nearly impossible for sickness to overtake my heart. Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."

Replanting hope also looks like keeping an open heart with trusted friends who will remind you who you are and who God is. Essentially, it's like my husband plucking the nasty caterpillars off of our orange tree. This weekend when my hope was shaken, I had three girlfriends who were this for me. One friend laid hands on me and spoke, with great authority, hope into my soul again! One was reminding me that my emotions were valid, but that I wasn't meant to stay in that place. The other just sat with me while I cried. All three friends are trusted, fiery women of God with whom I know I can share my heart, and they will not allow me to stay in the "valley of weeping" for very long (Psalm 84). (Photo via Raw Pixel)

Finally, replanting hope looks like surrendering to the process. When my husband replanted the orange tree, there was a brief, natural process of its roots becoming used to the new soil and settling in. This is so true in the natural as well, when our hope is expanded because our faith is being stretched. This is where one of my favorite verses of all time comes into play, Zechariah 9:12: "Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope. Even today I declare that I will restore double to you."

Prisoners of Hope and the Cord That Binds

The Hebrew word for hope in Zechariah 9:12 is the word tiqvâ, which means not just an expectation or a thing longed for, but it refers to a cord that binds. The Lord showed me years ago that I was to become a "captive" of hope – to bind myself to hope with everything I had, and then expect Him to restore DOUBLE for everything I may have lost out on in the meantime!

When we tie ourselves to hope, it means that we are fully surrendering to the process. It means that come what may, we are going to be defined by our OUTRAGEOUS HOPE.

Come what may...I know what God has said to me.

Come what may...I know that He is a good Father.

Come what may...I won't shut my heart down or try to be "strong" in the emotional process. I will open my heart to healthy people and allow them to remove the life-sucking lies from my branches!

Come what may...I will trust God in the process of hope, because I have tied myself to it and will not let go.

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life" (Proverbs 13:12). The more that I bind myself to hope, the more I realize that the tree of life, and everything that I TRULY want, is found in Jesus anyway. My heart never has to be "sick" when Jesus is the tree that I am eating hope from!

It's time for us as individuals and as Church bodies to replant ourselves in hope; to anchor in, allowing our roots to go deep. It's time to bind ourselves to hope and live outrageously hope-filled lives. THIS is our portion!

Mandy Woodhouse
Outrageous Hope